Borussia Dortmund Reportedly Set to Sign Paco Alcacer on Loan from Barcelona

Borussia Dortmund are reportedly close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona to take Paco Alcacer on loan for the season.

According to Mari Carmen Torres of Marca, the Bundesliga side will pay €2.2 million (£2 million) to land the former Valencia man, who has struggled to get minutes at the Camp Nou following his arrival in 2016.

According to Bild (h/t Torres), Dortmund will have the opportunity to buy Alcacer outright for €25 million (£22.6 million) at the end of the year.

Torres noted Dortmund have spent a large part of the transfer window trying to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left the club to join Arsenal in January. BVB took Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea for the second half of the previous season, but he's moved to Valencia this term.

It's left Dortmund with a lack of high-class options up top ahead of the Bundesliga season, which they start against RB Leipzig on Sunday. Maximilian Philipp and Alexander Isak are the only recognized strikers in the first-team squad. Philipp only bagged nine Bundesliga goals last season in 20 appearances, while Isak went scoreless in five outings.

Football journalist Lars Pollmann is disappointed it has taken so long for Dortmund to bring in a striker given the length of time since Aubameyang's departure:

If Alcacer does arrive, there will be pressure on him to perform, especially given the creative talents he will have behind him, such as Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic and Shinji Kagawa.

The 24-year-old's career has stalled at Barcelona, though, so it may take some time for him to build up his confidence. Alcacer has only started 14 matches in La Liga in his two seasons at the Camp Nou, netting a total of 10 goals.

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Still, there is clearly talent to tap into, as he excelled during his time at Valencia. In 124 appearances for Los Che, Alcacer hit 43 goals and provided 17 assists. During that time, he also forced his way into the Spain team, making 13 appearances.

These numbers show that at Barcelona, he's not been afforded the chance to showcase his talents too frequently:

With Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho to call on in the final third—as well as Neymar in his first season—that's not a great surprise. 

If the likes of Pulisic, Reus and Kagawa can provide the Barcelona man with the right service, he has the chance to revive his career at Westfalenstadion.